If you ask for the most important music artist from Costa Rica, the majority of the people will tell you Ray Tico. Ramon Jacinto Herrera, alias Ray Tico, was born in Limon, Costa Rica in 1928. He received his first guitar when he was 7 years old, and he never let go since. When he was a teenager he left for Colombia as a fisherman, and it is there that he began his career as a musician, which continued for the rest of his life.
Ray Tico
In 1953, he went to Cuba where he adopted the nickname Ray Tico, as well as composing "Eso es Imposible" ("That is Impossible"), his biggest hit among the more than 50 other songs that he wrote. His unique style of guitar playing, that also includes using it as a percussion instrument, became his personal stamp of distinction. With his new fame, Ray moved to the U.S., frequently playing at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.
Later in Hollywood, he gained fame as a latin playboy, often invited to join the most famous people of the era like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Sammy Davis Jr.
In 1969, at the age of 41, after having passed on the music and culture of Costa Rica throughout the world, Ray returned to Costa Rica to stay. He spent the next 38 years writing songs and playing in virtually every important event that occurred in the country, including presidential inaugurations.
In August of 2007, Ray Tico left on another trip, this time forever. His 79 years were lived intensely. Only weeks before his death, Papaya Music celebrated 8 decades of Ray, where despite his failing health, he got up on stage with Editus and other notable Costa Rican musicians to celebrate his career. Costa Rican will miss Ray, but will remember him with happiness, which, in the end, is what he has given to others all his life.
Art and Culture 
